Research Paper: Lean Manufacturing and its Application in Coaching

2014/04/01

Research Paper By Hemanth Achaya(Executive Coaching, INDIA)

Preamble and Objective:

Most innovations and new developments nowadays occur by taking two seemingly disparate branches of knowledge and studying where their respective borders overlap – or in applying original work done in one area and applying it to the other. For instance, Cancer cures now are found by the intersection of medicine with Computer Technology which has created advances in Genomics. Similarly, future computer systems are expected to mimic the human brain and work at the intersection of Neurology and Computer science.

Having worked for several years in a manufacturing organization, I was exposed to various aspects of Lean Manufacturing. The objective of my preliminary research paper is to look at the intersection of Lean Manufacturing and Coaching and examine if there is scope for further study in this field that could lead to new approaches and practices. It is possible that such approaches may be better accepted by Clients who are familiar with these techniques as used in a manufacturing perspective.

Background:

What is Lean Manufacturing?

Lean Manufacturing was developed on the foundation of the Toyota Production System, which was developed by the Toyota Motor Company of Japan in the 50s and the 60s, and whose principal architect was Taiichi Ohno.

Figure 1 – The 4 P Model of the Toyota Way – Jeffrey Liker

As can be seen from figure 1, some fundamental pillars of this system are Long Term Thinking even at the expense of short term goals, Respect for People and Partners, Continuous improvement and Learning, Use of a harmonious Pull system to prevent overload, and use of simple visual systems as support structures to highlight if things go out of control.

What has lean manufacturing achieved for its practitioners?

Toyota’s annual profits in 2003 were more than the profits of GM, Ford and Chrysler Combined

More than half of Toyota’s used cars are singled out “as recommended for purchase’ as compared to 10 % of the Fords, 5 % of the GMs and none of the Chryslers.

Toyota is consistently the winner of the JD Powers ‘Initial Quality’ and ‘long term durability’ awards, followed by Porsche, BMW and Honda.

Toyota is benchmarked by all of its peers and competitors throughout the world for high quality, high productivity, manufacturing speed, and flexibility.

These are impressive achievements by any stretch, especially so in the cut-throat global automotive sector. Toyota repeatedly claims that these would be impossible without the organization-wide culture that the Toyota Lean Manufacturing System has created.

We see that Lean Techniques enable dramatic improvements in efficiencies. Are there any lessons out there for us that we could use? And what of these could be applied to our lives?

The basic tenets of Lean Manufacturing are:

A focus on waste – of either material or time – and techniques to eliminate it.

A focus on improving value adding activities and elimination or reduction OF non-value adding activities.

A focus on the long term, transformative and permanent, as opposed to the short term, transactional and reversible.

Having a focus on people, and on the entire supply chain.

Use the genius of the workers on the shop floor to create continuous and transformative improvement.

Have simple and effective warning signals to alert impending problems.

Creating continuous and small improvements steps.

Using Problem solving techniques to arrive at the root cause rather than dealing with superficial issues.

A focus on Harmony, where all these tools are interconnected so that there is neither overproduction nor underproduction.

When we look at Coaching, we find that some of the key competencies are:

Use the genius of the Client to arrive at what is the best solution for the particular context.

Powerful Questioning – Ability to ask questions that reveal the information needed for maximum benefit to the Client

Focus on Clients to help them produce fulfilling results in their professional and personal lives

Provide support to enhance the skills creativity and resources that the client already has.

Ensure that the solution comes from within, which is the best way to ensure permanence.

Co-create a plan for achieving what the client really wants.

Be a sounding board for new ideas and support in making life changing decisions

Challenge and expand the Client’s views beyond their perceived limitations.

Co-create and facilitate in execution of plans that are transformative and permanent.

Co-create and facilitate in execution of plans that are in harmony with all stakeholders and are attainable and measurable.

A focus on the long term, transformative and permanent, as opposed to the short term, transactional and reversible.

We see that several objectives in the two processes are similar. However, one is focussed on the organization and the other on the individual. Are there similarities between the two? If so, what are they, and can the techniques used on one be applied on the other?

Fundamentally, can these techniques be applied to human beings? It may be argued that human beings are not robots and cannot be programmed to operate like machines or factories. Let us now look at possible similarities between a Human and a Factory:

Facet

Humans

Factories/Organizations

Thinking and decision making

Brain, Heart

Leadership

Basic Raw material

Food

Inventory

Primary unit

A cell

A Production Cell or a Quality Circle

Assets

Talents, Creativity, Intelligence, personal assets

IP, R&D, Market Share, Brand Value, Manufacturing Assets

Output

Personal and professional Goals

Products and services

Primary Goals

Survival, Good Health

Survival, Profits

Secondary Goals

Wealth, Recognition

Market Domination, Recognition

Key drivers

Personal Values

Organization Culture

Key stakeholders

Employers, Family, Friends

Customers, Suppliers, Shareholders, Employees

Sensory faculties

The five senses

Listening posts for Customers, suppliers and other stakeholders

Signs of poor performance

Inability to meet personal and professional goals, time wasting, misdirected efforts, ill health,

Well Planned Layout and organization, high profits and market share, happy customers

Table 1

It can be seen from Table 1 that while there are differences in details between Organizations and Individuals, the context in many cases is the same. With this insight, an attempt is now made to apply some Lean Manufacturing Techniques at an Individual level.

Some Lean Techniques that could be applied to Self Improvement or Coaching

The ‘5 Whats’ for arriving at the root cause

In Lean Management, one of the techniques to get to the root cause of a problem is the ‘5 Whys’ system. Here, one asks ‘why’ 5 times and is able to arrive at the root cause. For example, if the problem is that a part is not as per specification, the questioning could be:

Why is the part not as per spec?

Because the length is greater than what is required.

Why is the length greater?

Because the Machine that cuts it to size is not calibrated correctly.

Why is the machine not calibrated correctly?

Because the operator who calibrates it does not know the correct procedure.

Why does the operator not know the correct procedure?

Because the training program for the operator is conducted only once a year.

Why is the training program conducted only once a year?

Because the trainer is on contract and is hired to conduct the program only in September.

By this process, one is able to dive deep into the problem and determine that the root cause has nothing to do with the product or the machine, but in the training policy and system. The problem could be solved by ensuring that no person will calibrate the machine without proper training, and also to make the training process more frequent so that more operators can be trained in the process.

In Coaching, one cannot ask ‘why’ as we are dealing with sensitive individuals and not machines or processes. Here, a ‘5 What’ system could provide a laser technique to arrive at a root-cause analysis. For example, if the issue is that a person has a problem with completing assignments on time, the questions could be:

What are the reasons that assignments are not able to be done on schedule?

Because I am uncomfortable with writing reports

What makes you uncomfortable with writing reports?

I have a problem in sitting in front of a computer for more than 15 minutes

What makes you uncomfortable in sitting in front of a computer for long?

My eyes start watering and feel heavy.

What have you done to prevent this?

I was advised to wear glasses but stopped wearing glasses after a week

What has made you stop wearing glasses after a week?

My friend made fun of my looks and I felt uncomfortable wearing them in the office.

As can be seen, the root cause has nothing to do with a technical or professional problem and turns out to be one that dealt with self worth and identity. Facilitating the client to deal with the underlying issues could not just resolve the transactional problem of completing reports on time, but could provide a lasting resolution to the client’s self worth and confidence.